Sign up to receive free email alerts when patent applications with chosen keywords are publishedSIGN UP

Abstract:

Disclosed is a method and a system for detecting a reducer fault, which
extracts an angle of a steering angle sensor and an angle of a motor
position sensor after the initialization of the steering angle sensor and
the motor position sensor, and when a difference value between two
extracted angles is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle,
detects a fault of a reducer for rotation connection between a steering
wheel and a motor. The method and the system can accurately detect the
fault of the reducer for rotation connection between the steering wheel
and the motor included in the motor driven power steering system, thereby
effectively preventing occurrence of an accident due to the fault of the
reducer.

Claims:

1. A system for detecting a reducer fault, comprising: a steering angle
sensor initialization unit for initializing a steering angle sensor; a
motor position sensor initialization unit for initializing a motor
position sensor; and a reducer fault detection unit for extracting an
angle of the steering angle sensor and an angle of the motor position
sensor after the initialization of the steering angle sensor and the
motor position sensor, and when a difference value between two extracted
angles is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, detecting a
fault of a reducer for rotation connection between a steering wheel and a
motor.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motor position sensor
initialization unit initializes the motor position sensor by renewing an
angle of the motor position sensor to an angle of the initialized
steering angle sensor.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fault
processing unit for, when the fault of the reducer has been detected,
lighting a corresponding warning light, storing a corresponding
Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC), or transmitting a fault message with a
steering angle Controller Area Network (CAN) ID.

4. A method for detecting a reducer fault, the method comprising steps
of: initializing a steering angle sensor, in which the steering angle
sensor is initialized; initializing a motor position sensor, in which the
motor position sensor is initialized; and detecting a reducer fault, in
which an angle of the steering angle sensor and an angle of the motor
position sensor are extracted after the initialization of the steering
angle sensor and the motor position sensor, and when a difference value
between two extracted angles is equal to or larger than a predetermined
angle, a fault of the reducer for rotation connection between a steering
wheel and a motor is detected.

Description:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean
Patent Application No. 10-2009-0098029, filed on Oct. 15, 2009, which is
hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth
herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention relates to a method and a system for
detecting a reducer fault. More particularly, the present invention
relates to a method and a system for detecting a reducer fault, which can
accurately detect a fault of a reducer for rotation connection between a
steering wheel and a motor included in a motor driven power steering
system, thereby preventing occurrence of an accident due to the fault of
the reducer.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] In motor driven power steering system, when a reducer connecting
rotation between a steering wheel and a motor is out of order, the
steering assistance of the motor is not generated. However, even if the
steering assistance of the motor is not generated due to the fault of the
reducer, the motor continuously rotates according to the generated
torque, so that the steering control may not be accurately operated and
the safety of a driver may be also large threatened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the
above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the
present invention is to provide a method and a system for detecting a
reducer fault, which can accurately detect a fault of a reducer for
rotation connection between a steering wheel and a motor included in a
motor driven power steering system, thereby preventing occurrence of an
accident due to the fault of the reducer.

[0007] In order to accomplish this object, there is provided a system for
detecting a reducer fault, including: a steering angle sensor
initialization unit for initializing a steering angle sensor; a motor
position sensor initialization unit for initializing a motor position
sensor; and a reducer fault detection unit for extracting an angle of the
steering angle sensor and an angle of the motor position sensor after the
initialization of the steering angle sensor and the motor position
sensor, and when a difference value between two extracted angles is equal
to or larger than a predetermined angle, detecting a fault of a reducer
for rotation connection between a steering wheel and a motor.

[0008] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there
is provided a method for detecting a reducer fault, the method including
steps of: initializing a steering angle sensor, in which the steering
angle sensor is initialized; initializing a motor position sensor, in
which the motor position sensor is initialized; and detecting a reducer
fault, in which an angle of the steering angle sensor and an angle of the
motor position sensor are extracted after the initialization of the
steering angle sensor and the motor position sensor, and when a
difference value between two extracted angles is equal to or larger than
a predetermined angle, a fault of the reducer for rotation connection
between a steering wheel and a motor is detected.

[0009] Accordingly, the present invention can accurately detect the fault
of the reducer for rotation connection between the steering wheel and the
motor included in the motor driven power steering system, thereby
effectively preventing occurrence of an accident due to the fault of the
reducer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present
invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description
taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system for detecting a
reducer fault according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0012] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a method for detecting a
reducer fault according to an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be
described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following
description, the same elements will be designated by the same reference
numerals although they are shown in different drawings. Further, in the
following description of the present invention, a detailed description of
known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted
when it may make the subject matter of the present invention rather
unclear.

[0014] In addition, terms, such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) or the
like may be used herein when describing components of the present
invention. Each of these terminologies is not used to define an essence,
order or sequence of a corresponding component but used merely to
distinguish the corresponding component from other component(s). It
should be noted that if it is described in the specification that one
component is "connected," "coupled" or "joined" to another component, a
third component may be "connected," "coupled," and "joined" between the
first and second components, although the first component may be directly
connected, coupled or joined to the second component.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a system 100 for detecting a
reducer fault according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 for detecting the reducer fault
includes a steering angle sensor initialization unit 110 for initializing
a steering angle sensor 10, a motor position sensor initialization unit
120 for initializing a motor position sensor 20 detecting a relative
position of a motor, and a reducer fault detection unit 130 for
extracting an angle of the steering angle sensor 10 and an angle of the
motor position sensor 20 after the initialization of the steering angle
sensor 10 and the motor position sensor 20 by the steering angle sensor
initialization unit 110 and the motor position sensor initialization unit
120, respectively, and when a difference value between an angle extracted
in the steering angle sensor 10 and an angle extracted in the motor
position sensor 20 is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle,
detecting a fault of the reducer (in a gear box) connecting rotation
between a steering wheel and a motor.

[0017] The initialization of the steering angle sensor 10 and the motor
position sensor 20 by the steering angle sensor initialization unit 110
and the motor position sensor initialization unit 120, respectively,
means that information related to the steering angle sensor 10 and the
motor position sensor 20 are set as an initial value, respectively. The
initialization includes initialization of the angle of the steering angle
sensor 10 and the angle of the motor position sensor 20, respectively.

[0018] In the initialization of the motor position sensor 20, the motor
position sensor initialization unit 120 can initialize the motor position
sensor 20 by renewing the angle of the motor position sensor 20 to the
angle (e.g. 0°) of the steering angle sensor 10 initialized by the
steering angle sensor initialization unit 110. The motor position sensor
20 recognizes that the angle indicative of the position of the motor
immediately after the application of power is 0°. Therefore, in
order to recognize an accurate position of a steering wheel, the motor
position sensor 20 should renew the angle of the motor position sensor 20
to the angle 0° of the steering angle sensor 10 after the
initialization of the steering angle sensor 10.

[0019] In the meantime, referring to FIG. 1, the system 100 for detecting
the reducer fault according to the embodiment of the present invention
can further include a fault processing unit 140 for informing a driver of
a fault detection of the reducer, storing a fault detection of the
reducer in a vehicle system, or informing a vehicle system of a fault
detection of the reducer when the reducer fault detection unit 130 has
detected the fault of the reducer connecting the steering wheel and the
motor.

[0020] By way of example only, when the fault of the reducer connecting
the steering wheel and the motor has been detected, the fault processing
unit 140 can light a corresponding warning light representing a specific
color indicative of the detection of the reducer fault, store a
corresponding Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) indicative of the detection
of the reducer fault, or transmit a fault message including information
of the detection of the reducer fault with a steering angle Controller
Area Network (CAN) ID.

[0021] The system 100 for detecting the reducer fault according to the
embodiment of the present invention illustrated in FIG. 1 can be included
in the MDPS system or in connection with the MDPS system.

[0022] A method for detecting a reducer fault by the system 100 for
detecting the reducer fault according to the embodiment of the present
invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 in more detail.

[0023] FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the method for detecting the
reducer fault by the system 100 for detecting the reducer fault according
to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Referring to FIG. 2, the method for detecting the reducer fault by
the system 100 for detecting the reducer fault according to the
embodiment of the present invention includes initializing the steering
angle sensor (S200), in which the steering angle sensor 10 is
initialized, initializing the motor position sensor (S202), in which the
motor position sensor 20 detecting a relative position of a motor is
initialized, and detecting a reducer fault (S204), in which an angle of
the steering angle sensor 10 and an angle of the motor position sensor 20
are extracted after the initialization of the steering angle sensor 10
and the motor position sensor 20 by the steering angle sensor
initialization unit 110 and the motor position sensor initialization unit
120, respectively, and when a difference value between an angle extracted
in the steering angle sensor 10 and an angle extracted in the motor
position sensor 20 is equal to or larger than a predetermined angle, a
fault of the reducer connecting rotation between a steering wheel and a
motor is detected.

[0025] Referring to FIG. 2, the method for detecting the reducer fault by
the system 100 for detecting the reducer fault according to the
embodiment of the present invention includes processing the fault (S206)
of informing a driver of a fault detection of the reducer, storing a
fault detection of the reducer in a vehicle system, or informing a
vehicle system of a fault detection of the reducer after the fault of the
reducer connecting the steering wheel and the motor has been detected in
the step S204 of detecting the reducer fault.

[0026] By way of example only, in the step S206 of processing the fault,
when the fault of the reducer connecting the steering wheel and the motor
has been detected, a corresponding warning light representing a specific
color indicative of the detection of the reducer fault is lightened, a
corresponding Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) indicative of the detection
of the reducer fault is stored, or a fault message including information
of the detection of the reducer fault is transmitted with a steering
angle Controller Area Network (CAN) ID.

[0027] As described above, the present invention according to the
embodiment can compare the initialized angle of the steering angle sensor
10 and the initialized angle of the motor position sensor 20 and
accurately and promptly detect the fault of the reducer for rotation
connection between the steering wheel and the motor included in the MDPS
system, thereby preventing occurrence of an accident due to the fault of
the reducer.

[0028] Even if it was described above that all of the components of an
embodiment of the present invention are coupled as a single unit or
coupled to be operated as a single unit, the present invention is not
necessarily limited to such an embodiment. That is, among the components,
one or more components may be selectively coupled to be operated as one
or more units. In addition, although each of the components may be
implemented as independent hardware, some or all of the components may be
selectively combined with each other, so that they can be implemented as
a computer program having one or more program modules for executing some
or all of the functions combined in one or more hardwares. Codes and code
segments forming the computer program can be easily conceived by an
ordinarily skilled person in the technical field of the present
invention. Such a computer program may implement the embodiments of the
present invention by being stored in a computer readable storage medium,
and being read and executed by a computer. A magnetic recording medium,
an optical recording medium, a carrier wave medium, or the like may be
employed as the storage medium.

[0029] In addition, since terms, such as "including," "comprising," and
"having" mean that one or more corresponding components may exist unless
they are specifically described to the contrary, it shall be construed
that one or more other components can be included. All of the
terminologies containing one or more technical or scientific
terminologies have the same meanings that persons skilled in the art
understand ordinarily unless they are not defined otherwise. A term
ordinarily used like that defined by a dictionary shall be construed that
it has a meaning equal to that in the context of a related description,
and shall not be construed in an ideal or excessively formal meaning
unless it is clearly defined in the present specification.

[0030] Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been
described for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will
appreciate that various modifications, additions and substitutions are
possible, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as
disclosed in the accompanying claims. Therefore, the embodiments
disclosed in the present invention are intended to illustrate the scope
of the technical idea of the present invention, and the scope of the
present invention is not limited by the embodiment. The scope of the
present invention shall be construed on the basis of the accompanying
claims in such a manner that all of the technical ideas included within
the scope equivalent to the claims belong to the present invention.